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MV Sun Sea removed from shipyard

Boat brought 492 Sri Lankan asylum seekers to Canada in 2010.

A marine vessel that transported 492 Sri Lankan asylum seekers to Canada two years ago is no longer being stored at the Nanaimo Shipyard.

The MV Sun Sea, which became a familiar site for people using Newcastle Channel, was moved last week to a federal facility on the Fraser River in Delta after its contract with the shipyard ran out. It had been tied up in Nanaimo since late 2010.

An investigation into the human smuggling ring behind MV Sun Sea ended with charges against two Canadians and four Sri Lankans.

The arrival of the refugees also prompted the federal government to draft legislation to deter would-be refugees from paying for illicit passage to Canada by sea.



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